FAQs

Questions frequently asked regarding the characteristics of HICARE-supported activities and answers to them are as follows:

What is the "expertise that has accumulated in Hiroshima from the medical care of A-bomb survivors," which HICARE has effectively used for the radiation exposed throughout the world? In what form has such expertise been accumulated in Hiroshima?

The results of the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases occurring in A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima have been reported by physicians engaged in the treatment of these survivors in various medical journals. A representative publication of this kind is the Proceedings of Late A-bomb Effects Research Meetings (Hiroshima Igaku), which is published every year. In addition to reports on treatment results, there are also books which cover accumulated information regarding radiation dose evaluations and studies in the fields of basic medicine, including pathology. Two representative books are as follows: (1) Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Physical, Medical, and Social Effects of the Atomic Bombings (compiled by The Committee for the Compilation of Materials on Damage Caused by the Atomic Bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and published by Iwanami Shoten; the first issue published in July 1979) (English versions are also available) and (2) Effects of A-bomb Radiation on the Human Body 2nd Revised Edition (compiled by the Hiroshima International Council for Health Care of the Radiation-exposed and published by Bunkodo; the 2nd Revised Edition published in March 2012).

What kinds of on-site medical support activities are being performed by medical teams dispatched to other countries by HICARE?

A medical team mainly consists of physicians engaged in the treatment of A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima. It visits various places overseas where A-bomb survivors live or there are many exposed people, and provides support for disease diagnosis and other areas from the professional standpoint. Treatment should be, of course, performed by local physicians, but the dispatched team provides advice for medication and surgery. Team members also cooperate in the improvement of the medical expertise of local physicians and others.

What is the purpose of Practical Arrangements for Cooperation in the Medical Field concluded with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)?

On August 6, 2010, HICARE and IAEA agreed to cooperate with each other in medical care for those who exposed to radiation and concluded the Practical Arrangements for Cooperation in the Medical Field. This agreement aims at contributing to world peace and stability by conducting cooperative projects to cultivate human resources and develop joint research regarding treatment and research of medical care for those who were exposed to radiation. We expect that through these joint projects with IAEA, an international organization in which 150 countries participate, HICARE’s activities will be broadly recognized throughout the world, that the organization will play a more important role in international medical care for patients suffering from radiation exposure and that HICARE’s goals of international contribution and cooperation will be promoted more intensively.

What support did HICARE provide when the nuclear accident occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant?

On March 15, 2011, the governor of Fukushima Prefecture (Disaster Response Headquarters) made an emergency request to the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture to send radiologists and nurses to respond to the nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake that had occurred on March 11. Following the request, Hiroshima Prefecture requested HICARE to organize and dispatch a team to measure radiation exposure. We immediately formed and sent a six-member team composed of radiologists and nurses to Fukushima. The team conducted radiation screening tests by visiting shelters (1,447 people at 12 points in 5 municipalities) within the jurisdiction of the Fukushima Prefecture Kenchu Public Health Center in cooperation with the center during their stay from March 16 to 22. Member institutions of HICARE have been actively engaged in various support activities in their own specialized fields such as providing emergency medical care and medical check-ups, promoting health awareness of residents, and offering useful advice on these activities.